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Is £25m Manchester United target being punished by Pep Guardiola?

A former Bayern Munich star has implied it will be difficult for Toni Kroos to get back into the Bayern Munich team.

Former Bayern Munich defender Thomas Helmer has hinted that the writing could be on the wall for Manchester United midfield target Toni Kroos.

Helmer has suggested that Kroos is currently being punished by Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola for a furious response he gave to being substituted in the 2-1 win against Stuttgart last month.

“Pep gave a signal to the entire team by dropping Kroos. The fact that Toni didn't start in the past few games is almost certainly related to his reaction after he was taken off against Stuttgart,” he told AZ.

As speculation over Kroos’ future has grown, his role in the Bayern Munich first team has declined.

He was an unused substitute over the weekend as the German and European champions secured a 2-0 win away at Nurnberg and it’s not the first time Guardiola has confined the 24-year-old to the subs bench.

“He could be in trouble from here on. Pep also has Philipp Lahm, Thiago and Gotze who can feature in midfield. And those players are not the worst around ...” added Helmer.

Kroos’ current deal with the German club expires in the summer of 2015 and he has confirmed himself that there has been no agreement reached over a new deal, even though talks have taken place.

The problem Kroos faces is that it will be difficult to win his place back in the Bayern Munich team as long as those who are starting ahead of him are producing results for the team.

If he’s confined to a bit part role over the rest of the season, with Guardiola showing no signs of trusting him again then it could be simple for Manchester United, or any other side, to come in and do a deal for the £25 million rated midfield star.

Lewis Doe

Lewis Doe is a freelance writer and editor who seeks to bring you the biggest, smallest and most interesting stories from the football world. Lewis has previously written for some of the biggest football news and opinion sites in the world including FootballFanCast and Goal.com International. Lewis is also experienced writing in the betting industry and aims to deliver his stories with up to date factual and statistical information. He hopes to sum up stories for the site and provide an angle on the issue moving forward.Lewis is HITC Sport's La Liga correspondent.